“I think we’re getting past the luxury of just being against things”, Penta's Rory O'Donnell on global food security. Farmers' protests in Europe are reshaping the political landscape as the European Parliament elections approach, with the protest highlighting a frustration among European farmers as they navigate tougher competition, rising production costs, and concerns over the environmental impacts of initiatives like the Green Deal strategy. With that in mind, today we delve into the...

RM500,000 penalties, Director and Management liability, and assessing Work-From-Home risks that employers could be responsible for. If you haven’t heard about the incoming changes for Occupational Health and Safety in Malaysia, it’s time to push the panic button because ignorance is not a defence from the potential penalties of up to RM500,000. Learn about the implications, consequences, and what workplaces need to do ASAP in this edition of Enterprise Explores. We speak with Shannon Rajan...

Why did EPF restructure its member’s accounts? Can we do recurring transfers from the Flexible Account to the other 2? Why can’t we opt out of the Flexible Account? We get into these and much more in this edition of Enterprise Explores with EPF’s Balqais Yusoff. Over the weekend, EPF’s new structure took effect bringing into play a new 3rd account known as Akaun Fleksibel. Enterprise Explores the strategy and rationale behind this move, what we should know about these new changes, and how to...

In Malaysia, women entrepreneurs are carving a significant niche, accounting for around 20% of the more than 650,000 entrepreneurs in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. Despite their increasing influence on the economic landscape, these women often encounter distinct challenges, especially in accessing crucial funding and financial resources. This gap highlights the urgent need for targeted initiatives that support and empower female business leaders. To address these obstacles,...

In a world where companies are staying private for longer, today Enterprise Explores the potential of Share Liquidity Programs and Tokenization to unlock illiquid shares in private companies with Kelvin Lee, CEO of Alta - a Singapore-based marketplace for alternative assets. Alta recently facilitated the inaugural trade of the first tranche of shares as part of their Income Insurance Share Liquidity Program. The program was established in January by Alta and Phillip Securities to provide a...

In line with Mother's Day, Enterprise Explores dives into the collaborative efforts between the Autism Behavioral Center (ABC) and CookX Asia to empower mothers of children with autism. We explore the prevalence of autism in Malaysia, the essential role of mothers in imparting life skills, and the challenges faced in accessing support systems. ABC, Malaysia's largest ABA centre, and CookX, a social cooking app, are creating safe spaces for teaching life skills to the autistic community. The...

The economic climate in Malaysia is dynamic and evolving, with a strong emphasis on digital skills and technological advancements. The career path in Malaysia is also not linear – it is not a straightforward path from point A to B, but rather a curving one that requires adaptability, continuous learning, and a willingness to pivot in response to changing market demands. Young professionals nowadays are increasingly navigating dual roles, balancing primary jobs with entrepreneurial ventures...

Enterprise Explores the importance of engaging with grassroots entrepreneurs and the role of community building here with Inbaraj Suppiah, Founder of JomHack, a familiar name to many in the ecosystem, given his community work both online and in the real world through in-person sessions, such as the KL Startup Summit in July. We’ll get into grassroots entrepreneurship, but also some key thoughts on the criticisms around KL20 and the perceived disconnect between grassroots entrepreneurs and...

Should you opt-in for the one-off irreversible transfer to the new Flexible Account from EPF Account 2 and effectively restructure your current EPF savings? That’s a key question that Enterprise Explores with Rajen Devadason, Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management (Malaysia) Berhad. On top of that we also dive into how EPF members should navigate this incoming change and the narrative that we need to build around Akaun Fleksibel and its uses. It’s no secret that EPF’s...

Was there too much focus on attracting foreign unicorns, players and VCs at KL20? Was there not enough local support announced? We explore those criticisms as well as key aspects of the KL20 Action Plan with Dr Sivapalan Vivekarajah, Co-Chair of the Soonicorn Collective, and collective member Sharma Lachu, Founder and CEO of Accendo Technologies. We will get into their topline thoughts and impressions about KL20 and the action plan, some of the feedback and criticisms levelled at it, and...

The Cyber Security Bill 2024, passed by Malaysia's Dewan Negara in April 2024, aims to bolster the nation's cybersecurity. It requires entities managing critical national infrastructures — such as government, banking, transportation, defence, and healthcare — to adopt rigorous measures, standards, and processes to mitigate cyber threats. The legislation utilises a risk-based approach to protect against current and future technologies, including blockchain, and is crucial for safeguarding...

On this episode, we look at Artificial Intelligence with a focus on Malaysia's journey towards global competitiveness in this field. We speak with Farouk Nurish, Co-Founder of TM8 Sdn Bhd, a pioneering tech firm renowned for its innovative AI platform, Team M8. Throughout the conversation, Farouk gives us insights into Malaysia's distinctive strengths and weaknesses within the tech ecosystem, and how they influence the nation's efforts to carve a niche in the fiercely competitive AI market....

In response to the rising threat of online scams and slander, the Malaysian government recently (last week) announced that it is set to introduce an AI portal designed to help the public identify and combat digital fraud. This initiative, integrating advanced AI technologies with existing platforms, aims to bolster public safety and restore trust in the digital realm. Although it is still in its early stages, the portal is seen as necessary to ensure the public can trust the content they...

EPF Akaun Fleksibel - only ‘break in case of emergencies’. Last week (25 April 2024), the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) announced a restructuring, which, among other things, will see the introduction of a third account known as Akaun Fleksibel effective May 11th. We speak with Economist Dr Geoffrey Williams to dissect what this potentially means for EPF members, for the economy, and the retirement crisis. Among other things, we explore how Account 1 (now Akaun Persaraan) has been moved up...

On the back of Earth Day earlier this week, Enterprise explores the 2024 Earth Day report that was released by market research firm Ipsos Malaysia with Arun Menon, Managing Director at Ipsos Malaysia. This is the 4th edition of the report and is based on a 33-country survey conducted where 24,000 people were interviewed between January 26th and February 9th. Below are the 6 key findings from the report, which we explore in more depth in the show. Globally, across 33 countries, a majority...

In the fast-paced world of advertising, language is not just a tool for communication but also an element of brand identity and cultural representation. Recently, concerns have arisen regarding the incorrect use of Bahasa Melayu in advertisements and public signage, sparking debates about linguistic integrity versus creative freedom. As advertisers and creative agencies navigate these waters, they face the challenge of balancing the evolving nature of language with the need to preserve its...

Today, Enterprise explores the KL20 action plan and what is in store for the startup ecosystem in Malaysia with Bikesh Lakhmichand, Founder at 1337 Ventures and Kevin Brockland, Founder and Managing Partner at Indelible Ventures. For some context, the KL20 is a summit organised by the Malaysian government that aims to stimulate Malaysia’s startup scene by addressing some of the challenges faced by startup founders in the country like access to funding, navigating regulatory barriers and...

Today on the show, Enterprise explores Echelon’s annual Top100 Program, a program specifically curated to boost the growth for startups in Malaysia. To help me break down the significance of this program to startups across SouthEast Asia, I’m joined in the studio by Mohan Belani, CEO and Co-Founder of e27, the startup ecosystem's go-to platform for insights, connections, funding, and talent opportunities. Recently, Echelon has revealed the first 26 participants in this program for 2024 and...

Enterprise explores the 15th edition of CPA Australia’s Asia-Pacific Small Business survey which provides insights about small businesses across 11 economies, including Malaysia. The annual survey results indicate that 2024 is expected to be a better year than 2023, with 78% of small businesses expected to grow this year. This is Malaysia's best result since 2012 and it is higher than the survey average of 70%. To help me breakdown and explore the survey, we’re joined by Gavan Ord and Azfar...

In this episode, Enterprise explores the complexities of digital fragmentation and how businesses can address it to unlock real business value with Michael Bachman, Head of Architecture and AI Strategy at Boomi, a software company that specialises in integration platform as a service, API management, master data management and data preparation. While data is increasingly valued in today's business landscape, many organisations struggle to bring out its full potential due to a common issue:...

With the upcoming launch of the MYStartup Single-window for startups, today we explore how this will streamline startup matters and address the long-standing issue of a fragmentation and disconnect when it comes to startup support and resources from the government. Joining us for this conversation is Norman Vanhaecke, Group CEO of the Cradle Fund. Among other things, we’ll get into the specific features and enhancements, how the single-window initiative will streamline the startup...

With nominations for the 23rd edition EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year awards now open, today we dive into the evolution of the awards over the past 2 decades and its current focus with Philip Rao, Partner in Consulting with Ernst & Young, and Entrepreneur of the Year Malaysia Program Director. Philip breaks down the awards, getting into the differentiation between the 4 categories (Master, Technology, Women and Emerging), the types of companies that are encouraged to apply, the judging...

Food waste represents a significant challenge, particularly during festive periods when celebrations often lead to excessive food production and consumption. In Malaysia, as in many parts of the world, festivals such as Ramadan see markets and households overflow with food, much of which unfortunately goes to waste. This not only impacts the environment through increased landfill use and greenhouse gas emissions but also represents a considerable economic loss. Addressing this issue requires...

Amidst the competitive landscape of the Asia-Pacific consumer goods market, the narrative has often focused on insurgent brands disrupting established incumbents. However, a recent Bain & Company’s analysis of 23 consumer product categories across 11 Asia-Pacific markets (from 2018 to 2022) paints a more complex picture. The report, entitled “Resilience Amid Disruption: How Some Asia-Pacific Incumbents Are Outmanoeuvring Insurgents”, challenges the conventional view, revealing how...